TECH NEWS – Yes, we know it’s not April Fools’ Day, but this actually happened: Google blamed someone else for a battery issue.

A customer brought a faulty device to a Google service center, where they encountered a representative who either tried to deny service with an absurd explanation or was entirely convinced by their own claim. According to the anonymous employee, the Pixel’s swollen battery was caused by using a Samsung charger.

The device in question was an unnamed Pixel owned by a woman living in Delhi, India, where one of Google’s service centers is located. It appears that @Pmkphotoworks accidentally overheard the conversation between the phone’s owner and the customer service representative while the user asked about the cause of the swollen battery.

After the woman explained that she was charging her Pixel with a Samsung power adapter, the representative replied that she was using an incompatible charger, which allegedly led to the battery swelling. While the tweet does not confirm whether any service was offered, it highlights a common tactic used to deny customers legitimate repairs.

An original Samsung charger would function exactly like any Pixel-compatible charger, delivering appropriate power and output voltage. The service representative likely attempted to blame the device owner to avoid the time and effort required to source and replace the battery, saving Google additional costs in the process.

At the Google service center in Delhi. A woman comes with a Pixel device saying her phone’s battery had swollen up.

Customer: “What is the reason for the swollen battery?”

Representative: “Which charger do you use?”

Customer: “Samsung.”

Representative: “That’s the reason.… pic.twitter.com/WcjRR2mU1H

— Parth Monish Kohli (@Pmkphotoworks) December 21, 2025

Because many people in the country lack a clear understanding of how smartphones work internally, service representatives can easily shift blame to something as simple as using a charger from another manufacturer. If that were truly the case, swollen batteries would be a widespread issue across India, given the abundance of third-party chargers.

Prolonged usage and overheating are far more likely explanations. Perhaps Google should focus on sourcing higher-quality batteries that are less prone to swelling, rather than forcing its service staff to deflect responsibility onto customers. Otherwise, a single bad service experience could push users toward choosing an iPhone or a Samsung device instead.

Source: WCCFTech